This month’s coaching theme is around the great regeneration. I will be focusing on helping you examine your past, so you are better prepared and re-energized to start 2022 strong and confident about what it is you want your life to be like and where you are headed. Quite possibly carve out a new path – the one you can be proud of. 💖😍
EXAMINE THE PAST
As we move into November and the last two months of the year it is a great time to reflect on where you have been this past year. Reflection is necessary to understand what you have learned in the past to become a better version of you in the future.
“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.”
~ Albert Einstein
This time of year is a good start to reflect on what has happened in the past 10 months of the year, or even the past 10 years for that matter and how you would like to create new opportunities for yourself next year. With any of the goals you set for yourself that you haven’t achieved is there anything you could tweak or change to better results?
You might be thinking, goals or resolutions don’t work so why bother? I get it, I used to be like this too. What I am proposing is something a little different, let’s start now in November to really think about what you would like your new year to be like.
Let’s put the wishful thinking into action! ✨ By the end of this month my goal is help you come up with a plan of action to start creating the life you’ve always dreamed of living. If you’re ready….
LET’S BEGIN
We’ve all heard that if you are all work and no play it makes you a dull person. Spoiler alert! No rest and all work does more to you than make you dull. Without getting into a full-blown biology lesson, adequate sleep and rest allows your body to activate the state of homeostasis which is important for the inner healing work to happen.
Our bodies are remarkable and complex. Getting rest and sleep allows our brain to function at an optimal level. Think of it like leaving your computer on all the time without turning it off. After a while the computer starts to operate slower and slower. Then the operating system starts to flag up messages to update itself. If this is ignored your computer has crashed and you have no idea because you have taken it for granted or it will take longer to get back to an optimal level.
The same can happen to our bodies if we don’t take care of them with rest and sleep. Getting a good night’s sleep helps not only the brain with improved memory, concentration but also our moods. Sleep and rest even help our metabolism and immune system. A report by the National Institutes for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) states that health care expenses are nearly 50% greater for workers who report high levels of stress1.
I am very thankful for when I can have a proper night’s sleep. If you have ever looked after aging parents or young children that need your constant attention, not having a proper night’s sleep can really take a toll on your brain and body. Which is why it makes me appreciate a good night’s sleep even more when I do get it.
REST AND BE THANKFUL
November has always been one of my favourite months of the year. The days are getting shorter, the weather is cold and crisp, and the fall colours are a stunning array of reds, yellows, and oranges on the trees. And then there is Thanksgiving! 🦃🙏
It’s one of my favourite holidays because it reminds me that no matter how hard things get in life, we should always try to focus on what we’re thankful for rather than dwelling on all our problems.
Like the leaves on the trees preparing for winter, autumn is a good reminder to take stock of where you have been to prepare for where you want to go in life. It’s that time of year when we can rest, pause, and take stock of what has happened in our lives.
October and November are the months when Canadians and Americans celebrate thanksgiving. Like many other cultures all over the world that celebrate a communal gathering of a good crop, it’s a time to rest and be thankful.
Being thankful for what we have and what we can do with our lives is a gift. You have unique gifts. In The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz, he states the first agreement is to be impeccable with our words. Which means we first must be impeccable with our thoughts. Remember – where thoughts go energy flows. If your thoughts are in a place of love and kindness this will resonate through you and the words you use will come across as pure and genuine straight from the heart. There will be no mixed messages.
I worked with a colleague who really loved her BMW (that’s code for b*tch, moan, and wine). As a manager she was allowed to show off her BMW all day. This gets very tiring to be around a person like this all day. Plus, you start to wonder if she is going to use her BMW to run you over?
GRATITUDE
Gratitude is that feeling of being thankful. Happy to be alive! Grateful for waking up each morning and getting a second chance to make today better than yesterday! Appreciating that first cup of tea, coffee, or green juice in the morning! If you don’t find it easy to come up with things you are thankful for, start small, find one thing no matter what it is. Over time you will find being thankful for anything and everything in your life is much easier.
Remember if you find it difficult to find something you’re grateful for it’s okay, you’re normal, you have to walk before you can run. For example, a baby learning to walk for the first time. They are not born and suddenly can walk. It takes several attempts to practice and learn. Equally they do not give up if they can’t get it either, they keep at it.
Unfortunately, in our school system we get taught mistakes are bad and there are no second chances. You either get it right or wrong and if you get it wrong, there’s hell to pay not only from your teachers and peers but also the mental hell you may also put yourself through. I know this only too well. What I have come to realise is be kind and gentle to yourself – remember be impeccable with your thoughts!
Gratitude is important because it allows you to focus on what you have instead of what you lack. Appreciative for all that you have been given – from the water that sustains your life to just simply waking up in the morning.
If times are tough and you find it difficult to muster up any kind of gratitude just remember when you are in a grateful state of mind you can work on keeping a good perspective on your situation. You could possibly read affirmations help you gain that different perspective. Seek help and support from others. I’ve attached a Journal Planner for you to make a start today.
Here are some other ideas you could try:
- Start a gratitude journal (see above for the link!)
- Before going to bed each night, get a small notebook and, write down 3 things you are grateful for.
- Start your day thinking about what you are grateful for.
- Try meditating – this helps to shift the thoughts in your mind from focusing on all the negative to positive thoughts that expand the mind.
1Stress at work – https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/99-101/